DHARMAPURI: The Bommidi police have filed a case against BJP Tamil Nadu president K Annamalai on charges of breaching public peace and promoting enmity between communities, three days after his attempt to visit a church was opposed by locals at B Pallipatti village in Dharmapuri district on Monday.
Annamalai had visited the ‘Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church’ as his state-wide march ‘En Mann, EN Makkal Yatra’ reached the area. As soon as he entered the church, he was stopped by youths in the church who urged him to leave.
While Annamalai attempted to hold talks with the youths, they levelled charges against the BJP governments (at the centre and in Manipur) for their failure to protect Christians in Manipur as the state reeled under ethnic violence.
Annamalai responded that if they did not allow him to enter the church he would hold a protest before it with over 10,000 party cadres. The police intervened and Annamalai was allowed to pray. However, a 28-year-old youth from Bommidi, B Karthik, filed a complaint with the local police alleging Annamalai had threatened to mobilise over 10,000 people and cause unrest in B Pallipatti and causing tension between different groups.
He has been charged under IPC sections 153A, 504 and 505. Section 153A is on “promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony’.